Greenetrack makes a visit

Wednesday

May 21, 2014 at 2:00 AM

STEWART AIRPORT — If Greenetrack wins a state gaming license, the vacant parcel at the corner of International Boulevard and Breunig Road will one day buzz with gamblers hoping to win big at blackjack and poker.

Jessica DiNapoli

STEWART AIRPORT — If Greenetrack wins a state gaming license, the vacant parcel at the corner of International Boulevard and Breunig Road will one day buzz with gamblers hoping to win big at blackjack and poker.

On Tuesday, former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, Greenetrack CEO Luther Winn Jr. and local officials stood among knee-high weeds growing in the field.

They came for a private tour of the site where Greenetrack proposes to build a $400 million casino resort. D'Amato's lobbying and public relations firm, Park Strategies, represents Alabama-based Greenetrack.

"This is a great site," D'Amato said.

"You don't have this type of property at the Commons," he added, an apparent dig at the site of a casino proposed by Caesars Entertainment and Flaum Management in the Town of Woodbury, home to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.

Ten developers have announced projects in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties; they're vying for one of four gaming licenses New York plans to award.

At a Stewart Airport Commission meeting earlier Tuesday, SAC Chairman Jim Wright said that as the casino contenders advance, he may invite the "leading candidates" to make a presentation to the advisory group.

He said SAC members are strongly in favor of casinos, "particularly those that are adjacent to the airport."

Saratoga Casino and Raceway hopes to build a resort across the street from the airport on a 70-acre parcel off Route 17K.

Wright said a casino close to Stewart would boost air traffic at the airport, which has lost hundreds of thousands of passengers since the Recession.

Airport General Manager Richard Heslin said both Greenetrack and Saratoga, like any project near the airport, would have to secure approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration to construct multi-story buildings.

Greenetrack's site is outside Stewart's landing and takeoff zones, and the company has already secured preliminary clearance from the FAA, said spokeswoman Juanita Scarlett.

Saratoga will address flight issues related to its project in its final application to the state, said spokesman Mike Morey.

jdinapoli@th-record.com

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